LEDs are semiconductor devices that produce light when a current is supplied to them. “White” light emitting diodes (LEDs) are LEDs that emit a full visual spectrum of light. Such LEDs took a considerable number of years to be developed and considerably more years to be brought to mass production. In particular, only recently have white LEDs with lumen outputs sufficient for general lighting and therefore replacement of incandescent or fluorescent lighting become available. White LEDs offer a very real reduction in energy cost in comparison with incandescent and fluorescent lights but also operate with a much lower temperature rise.
Unfortunately, because white LEDs operate at a few volts and general lighting operates at 110 volts AC RMS or 220 volts AC RMS, either strings of white LEDs in series or extensive and complicated passive (and sometimes active) electric circuit elements are employed to avoid the application of over voltages to the white LEDs. Blinking from power transient can be a problem. Another problem is that conventional (TRIAC) operated dimmers require the light to be turned on and then turned back down to a lesser brightness. What was needed was a smooth and continuous variable dimming of LEDs.